05 Feb Different Types of Awards Materials

We often have people asking “whats the difference?” so here we look at the different types of materials used to make awards.

Acrylic:

Acrylic offers the same clarity as glass or crystal but with much less chance of breakage. It is also much lighter in fact acrylic is half the weight of glass and seventeen times as strong. It is  impact resistant and unaffected by sun or salt spray.

Acrylic is a ploymer meaning that it is a material made of many parts. Acrylic is a highly versatile material and can be machined and tooled to accomodate a range of shapes and sizes, it can also be coloured depending on your requirements. Acrylic also weathers well, kepping its clarity over the years without breaking colouring or breaking down when exposed to sunlight over long periods of time.

Crystal:

Often used for corporate tombstones and events crystal is a weighty material. Crystal awards can be engraved, sandblasted, etched, printed and more! Bases can be added. Crystal blocks come in a variety of different pre-cut shapes, which can them be customised to your design.

Crystal is a quick, economical and flexible option for your award needs. Crystal awards generally have the lowest overall cost, and shortest lead-time of any of our award options as they come in a variety of pre-cut shapes and sizes. Crystal awards can be fully customised to meet your specified design.

Metal:

Metal allows a high level of customisation as awards can be thick or thin, cast into different shapes and polished to a high sheen. Some of the worlds most high profile awards are metail, including the Oscars and Grammys which are metal casts. Normally using aluminium or steel,  metal awards allow clients a high range of flexibility of design as they can be multi dimensional using many layers or can be used in conjunction with other materials to make a truly memorable award.

Metal awards can take many forms from a custom aluminium faceplate through to a a bespoke custom made cast award, awards can be designed to suit all budgets and occasions.
High-precision CNC machinery and hand operated machines are typically used to create custom images and shapes from large sheets of high-quality aluminium or steel.

Normally using aluminium or steel,  metal awards allow clients a high range of flexibility of design as they can be multi dimensional using many layers or can be used in conjunction with other materials to make a truly memorable award

You can either have awards that have a very thin profile, or awards that have a thick, multi-dimensional profile created by combining multiple layers or pieces of metal.

Plaques:

Plaques can be constructed of any material, although the majority that you see hanging on a wall tend to be made from acrylic. Plaques made from wood, metal or stone can offer an extra dimension and can really stand out from the crowd.